San Francisco: America’s Latest Culinary Capital

HANK THE DOT-COM CREW. The Bay Area’s climate and the edible, quaffable bounty it yields, its enlightened attitude to agriculture, farm-to-table pioneers such as Alice Waters and its multicultural population have blessed it with phenomenal food for decades. But in the past few years, the wealth generated by the tech boom has helped kick San Francisco’s culinary scene up another gear. As housing prices have soared (property is now more expensive per square foot in the city than anywhere else in America), new restaurants that offer innovative eating in casual settings – white tablecloths don’t go with the hoodies beloved of Mark Zuckerberg and his ilk – have emerged.

Add farmers’ markets, avant-garde bakeries, some of the best Mexican food north of the border, ice-cream emporia that would give Willy Wonka the willies and you can see why the locals claim San Francisco’s food has never been better. Chefs are moving from New York to the West Coast, rather than the other way around, and the chat on the buses that shuttle techies from their city apartments to their Silicon Valley HQs is all about what’s for dinner.

El Farolito – A predominantly Latino area since the Forties, the Mission is now a hipster haven of fancy bike stores, vintage boutiques and coffee shops, but it’s still the place to go for a taco or a burrito. Everyone has a favourite taqueria, whether it’s a traditional joint or a nouveau spot such as Tacolicious. My pick is the divey, old-school El Farolito, one of nine locations, at the bottom of still-grungy Mission Street, with its palm trees, pawnshops and dollar stores. Order the pitch-perfect taco camitas: steaming-hot, juicy without being greasy, with just the right amount of herbs and spice.

Rich Table – Innovative comfort food with the occasional foraged morsel is the order of the day at this restaurant in Hayes Valley. Begin with the Dirty Hippie, a mousse of buttermilk, wheatgrass, sprouts and seeds, and sardine chips (homemade crisps neatly threaded with sardines) before the signature main: a chicken lasagne with texture and depth thanks to its wheatgerm sauce and popped-sorghum sprinkles on top. Leave room for a slice of punchy Bleu de Termignon cheese, served with homemade bread, and make sure you have a chat with the charming chef and co-owner Evan Rich. But don’t ask him for his favourite foraging spots – he won’t tell you.

Blue Bottle Coffee – San Franciscans like their food fresh, and the same goes for their coffee. Only beans roasted less than 48 hours earlier make the cup, and every drink is individually brewed. The downside? A long wait. The first time I joined the queue here, it was 40 minutes before I got my turn; the bunny faces the barista was drawing on every coffee were not exactly expediting matters. Still, it was the creamiest, smoothest latte ever, and they haven’t disappointed since.

State Bird Provisions – Book well in advance for this game-changer below posh Pacific Heights, serving modern dim sum: it’s the city’s toughest reservation. The short menu includes the highly recommended State Bird with Provisions: lemony, deep-fried California quail. Everything else (exquisite guinea-hen dumplings with duck-liver mousse; non-seaweed chips filled with hamachi) is passed around on trays and carts by the ebullient waiters and chef/co-owner Stuart Brioza. Each dish is so beautifully presented it’s hard to refuse anything, and the whole experience feels like one huge, hopping dinner party.

Central Kitchen – It’s not often that brunch inspires the entire table to reach for their iPhones and tap the Instagram app, but that’s what happened when the rabbit terrine arrived. This Inner Mission spot is from the people behind the lauded Italian joint Flour + Water. With its creative food, retractable-roofed dining room, adjoining Salumeria deli and smiley staff in Dame Edna specs and ombre hairdos, Central Kitchen is quintessential Northern Cali.

Mission Chinese Food – What began as a pop-up by 32-year-old chef Danny Bowien at Lung Shan Restaurant is now a thriving permanent fixture (Lung Shan is still the name on the awning, which is why I walked past it three times). Popular dishes on the “Americanised Oriental” menu include addictive Chongqing chicken wings and Polynesian pork spare ribs; for a lighter meal, tty the spicy octopus and lamb’s tongue salad, a complex balance of fatty and spicy flavours, with dandelion greens, Chinese celery and cumin vinaigrette.

Park Tavern – With hefty beams on the ceiling, a warm, lively atmosphere, trendy crowd and hearty, fresh-from-the-market menu, this handsome spot in North Beach exemplifies San Francisco’s laid-back foodie style. Start with a bar snack or two (I liked the devilled eggs with smoked bacon and jalapeno) and a Washington Square cocktail, a deliciously acidic concoction of ginger and sparkling grape, before the main event: whole pan let noir served with black truffles, or a whopper of a pork chop paired with Parmesan risotto.

Craftsman & Wolves – There will always be Tartine, the Francophile bakery that has been the place to get one’s daily bread in the Mission for more than a decade. But for innovative riffs on patisserie classics (pain an cochon, passion-fruit sesame croissant) and sweet treats (Eclairs, lime tarts), head to chef William Werner’s new minimalist space around the corner, which has motivational quotes on the walls and plaid-shirted types at the tables. Order the Rebel Within, a savoury scone with a soft-cooked egg inside. Breakfast is rarely this exciting.

Benu – Good luck getting a reservation at Thomas Keller’s legendary French Laundry, over the Golden Gate Bridge in Napa. You have a much better chance at this haute SoMa spot, which has Keller disciple Corey Lee at the stove. It’s a serious-looking place with a minimalist Japanese aesthetic, and the food is both inventive and unbelievably tasty. ‘The only option is the tasting menu, which varies from 16 to 19 courses. Stand-outs among the dishes I tried were oily river trout in breadcrumbs and a mind-blowing chocolate, praline and caramel bomb with banana puree.

San Francisco’s tastiest places to stay

HOTEL VITALE – The Vitale is in an unbeatable location across the road from the Embarcadero and four minutes’ walk from the Ferry Building, home to one of the city’s best farmers’ markets. Book a Waterview room for a view of the Bay Bridge, currently glittering at night with New York artist Leo Villareal’s “The Bay Lights” installation. Natural materials (stone, wood) in the public spaces and a shades-of-beige palette in the large, comfortable bedrooms create a tranquil vibe; there’s a small spa with two outdoor soaking tubs.

THE ST REGIS SAN FRANCISCO – In SoMa, a short stroll from Benu restaurant, the St Regis has sleek interiors, a great art collection, eye-popping city views, a pool and a 9,000sqft spa. The bar is an after-work hotspot, and Michelin-starred Ame restaurant, with its miso-bowl-red interiors, mixes French, Italian and Japanese flavours.

CLIFT HOTEL – If you want to stay where the scene is, check in here. Philippe Starck has left his surrealist fingerprints all over the public spaces, and the panelled Redwood Room bar is buzzy, particularly at weekends. Bedrooms, done up in soothing colours (white, violet, the odd pop of tangerine), provide respite from the aesthetic feast downstairs.

HOTEL ZETTA – Artfully capturing the city’s youthful, tech-savvy mood, this SoMa hotel near Union Square is brimming with character. Socialising is encouraged through shared seating and a playroom, and rooms include Illy espresso machines. The Cavalier is the property’s hit restaurant serving British fare in a London brassiere-inspired setting from the minds behind Park Tavern.